Words into Type, a Guide in the Preparation of Manuscripts; for Writers, Editors, Proofreaders and Printers

Excerpt

The text has been divided into six Parts and an Appendix, but not to indicate thereby that Part I is solely for writers, Part III for editors, Part V for students, and so on, but to achieve an orderly grouping of content which will make it easy for the searcher to find quickly whatever he is looking for. In Part I are presented instructions about desirable physical form which the typist should observe, an explanation of the term "printing style," details relating to the acceptable forms for headings, quotations, footnotes, bibliographies, and tables, and as much information about illustrations as a writer needs. Following these general instructions for printing are sections describing the special responsibilities of a book writer and a brief summary of the copyright and libel laws. The aim is to show writers how to secure the best possible result without unnecessary expense.

The first time a writer receives proofs from a publisher he may quite naturally be somewhat uncertain about what is expected and required of him and what he is entitled to expect from the publisher and printer. Part II therefore seeks to remove all these uncertainties, instructing him at the same time how to do his work on proofs most efficiently. An incidental purpose of Part II is to present a picture of the work of editors, copyreaders, proofreaders, and copyholders that will reveal to the person unacquainted with these professions how intricate and exacting the work is.

Part III is the most technical part of the book, dealing exclusively with problems of typography and illustration. It has been written expressly for the person beginning a career in an editorial office, the student of editorial practice, and the writer who wishes to inform himself about the problems of the editor of a book.

Rules of present-day usage in all the details of printing style are presented in Part IV, with due recognition of the fact that rules are for guidance, not for slavish following, that they are continually changing, and that no rule can be universally applied to all kinds of printing.

Part V, Part VI, and the Appendix deal with usage, grammatical and verbal, as well as the aspects of grammar and the use of words that seem to be most troublesome to writers and editorial workers. What is given will suffice for those workers who are not concerned with complete discussions of disputed points. Several lists for further reference have been appended.